Prescott Valley Looks Forward to Spring Events, Budget and Census 2020

by Kell Palguta, Mayor, Prescott Valley
Greetings, everyone. As we head into spring, I hope this finds you in good health and spirits.  
The Town of Prescott Valley continues its forward progress, as new businesses are expanding here. We’ll soon be seeing two new restaurants and a new convenience store. This is a sign our community is continuing to flourish and businesses are recognizing that the Town of Prescott Valley is where they want to be.  
The Town wrapped up five public open houses in December and January. These forums took place in numerous locations to gain as much communication from the public as possible in regard to the direction of Prescott Valley. The forums helped to support our goal of ensuring the town government is as transparent as possible and that we keep our lines of communication open. We are now deep in the 2020-2021 budget process, working to balance our finances to provide the services our community needs. 
As spring approaches, Prescott Valley has a lot of great events on tap for residents and visitors alike to enjoy. Our Parks & Recreation sports leagues are ramping up, and signups are open at our website, www.pvaz.net/292/Parks-Recreation. The annual Youth Arts Month will see a variety of artwork from our local schools decorating the Civic Center and Public Library through the month of March. In April, look forward to the Family Arts Festival and EGGstravaganza from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 4, with thousands of eggs for the kids to pick up on the Civic Center lawns, along with inflatables, games, hands-on activities and performances. 
On Saturday, April 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., we’ll celebrate Gold Fever Day and Badges and Bobbers at Fain Park. Celebrate the rich history of Prescott Valley by trying your hand at gold panning, tour historical sites, and enjoy live entertainment. Kids can enjoy free fishing with local law enforcement personnel, always a popular activity. 
Other events in April include Arbor Day, when local students learn about trees and help to plant one or more in local parks. Parks & Recreation hands out hundreds of seedling trees for the kids to take home and plant. 
In the upcoming months, all of our communities will be hearing a lot about the upcoming census. The census is important because when it comes to receiving state-shared revenue, the amount of money received is based on our population. In the case of Prescott Valley, the Town does not have a property tax, so we rely primarily on local sales tax and state-shared revenue to operate. You can find out more about the census by visiting www.census.gov or contacting Town Communications at comrel@pvaz.net.
As we move further into the new year, I have some thoughts about how we can be better in 2020.  Often, cities and towns get too wrapped up in political turmoil, which ultimately ends in a gridlock of ideas and solutions. A new year gives all of us the opportunity to focus on our communities and our region. If we determine to work together as a team toward specific goals and ideas, we’ll put our communities first and will be able to move forward. No one wins when complaints and negativity take the place of positive, open-minded and goal-oriented attitudes. 
Have a great spring, and do not waste a single day because we all know that tomorrow is not guaranteed.